Kristen Stewart wore Balenciaga the other night at the AFI premiere of On The Road. It’s certainly not a twinkly strapless Oscar De La Renta dress for the MiniVan Majority. Which is why I dig it. That the makeup isn’t safe. The look is certainly not safe. That at 22, aligned with a luxury brand known for pushing the standard on shapes and structure, she is experimenting with fashion and seems to be enjoying the process. No, I don’t love the brassiere texture of the top and I agree that the heavy dark eyeshadow and lips doesn’t present her at her “prettiest”, but then again, “pretty” wasn’t the objective here. For example, would it be different, how you feel about this look, if you were seeing it on Gwen Stefani instead? The assertion here then is that style-wise, Kristen Stewart can go there. Agree or disagree?

In other Balenciaga news, and it’s big news, the label announced today that after 15 years Nicolas Ghesquiere is leaving. The New York Times is calling it “a surprise move”. There was clearly no hint of it when Ghesquiere presented what’s now his final collection at Paris Fashion Week at the end of September. Perhaps they didn’t want to have his departure overshadow the runway. Or... given that his final day is supposed to be November 30, perhaps there’s more to it. Now they have to bring in a new creative director. And very, very soon too. Because that person will have to get on it fast to start working on Fall/Winter 2013.

Is it time now to start fashion-hoarding Ghesquiere’s designs? As I’ve mentioned several times already, Ghesquiere’s Balenciaga is one of my favourite brands. And, curiously, I did a lot more Balenciaga sale-hunting and buying this year than I ever have before. Bought these wedges at Barneys and wore the sh-t out of them all summer but WHY didn’t I get them topy-ed sooner? Do celebrities bother with topy-ing their shoes?